Ultrasound treatment in San Francisco tightens skin

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A technology that's helped bring millions of healthy babies into the world is now being used to help men and women look younger. Instead of peeking through the skin, this version of ultrasound is being used to tighten it.

As a management coach, Kathi Joy sometimes works with younger clients. And recently, she's become concerned with signs of aging on her own face.

Just a tiny bit of pull, gravity doing its job," she said.

Instead of a facelift, she turned to Dr. Sheena Kong and new kind of procedure that doesn't involve surgery, or even lasers. In fact, it's a technology many women experience while they're pregnant -- an ultrasound.

"It uses Ultrasound to create some thermal, heat-related injuries to the tissue," Kong explained.

At her clinic in San Francisco, the doctor marked Joy's face. Then a few moments later, she began sending targeted pulses of ultrasound into her skin.

According to Kong, the pulses actually kill cells and force the body to generate more collagen. The system, known as Ultherapy, is designed to deliver the heat at a certain depth, allowing the new collagen to actually lift the skin upward.

"In the end you get a tighter skin, and more defined jawline," said Kong.

The system can be used on the brow, chin, neck, and chest areas. Kong says the results, seen in before and after pictures provided by the company, develop over the course of recovery, typically several months.

Joy says the trade-off for a non-invasive procedure is worth the wait.

"The technology of ultrasound is easy to me to get, the fact there's no downtime, it's simple to go through the procedure," she said.

The full facial treatment can run about $3,500 and up. Kong says it can also be combined with cosmetic fillers to enhance the effect.

Written and produced by Tim Didion.